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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974396">A Knife's Edge</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Stories/pseuds/Lost_Stories'>Lost_Stories</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Romeo &amp; Juliet - Takarazuka Revue, Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Romeo et Juliette - Presgurvic, Takarazuka Revue Musicals</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Study, Implied Relationship, M/M, Pre-slash (sort of), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, this is totally yurika and mikkii's faults, tybalt and mercutio have problems, unhealthy relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:47:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>397</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lost_Stories/pseuds/Lost_Stories</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They’d danced on a knife’s edge every day of their lives. Circling one another like wolves, teeth bared in a growl. Their dance was one bound to end in tragedy, forever balancing on a tightrope, never knowing if they would fall or fly. If one of them let go, they both fell.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mercutio/Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Knife's Edge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>based on the 2013 B cast takarazuka performance, because Yurika and Mikkii made me Feel Some Things...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’d danced on a knife’s edge every day of their lives. Circling one another like wolves, teeth bared in a growl. Their dance was one bound to end in tragedy, forever balancing on a tightrope, never knowing if they would fall or fly. If one of them let go, they both fell.</p><p>Their eyes met across the square, and the dance began. A grin found its way onto Tybalt’s face as he met Mercutio’s eyes. A bow, from his counterpart, pulled him into their waltz. Mercutio’s hands found their way to his collar, the smaller man yanking him close, so close, before blasted Benvolio pulled them apart. Laughing, Mercutio tore himself loose and Tybalt caught him in what could have been an embrace, should his nails not have dug into his side quite so hard. Their eyes sparked as Tybalt buried his hand in Mercutio’s garish pink hair and <em>yanked</em>, hard enough to see the grimace of pain that morphed into a leer not a moment later. He was pushed off violently, stumbled back against a wall, and not a second later Mercutio was on him, too close, too close, someone might see. Someone might catch the fact that he wore a smile and not a smirk as he pulled Mercutio in, compensated the look on his face with a punch to the stomach that pushed the air straight out of Mercutio’s lungs, took the look of joy right off his face and replaced it with anger. His partner stumbled back, coughing violently, then grinned. He was small, so very small, and Tybalt could break him so easily. The world around them disappeared as their dance continued. A step forward and one back, give and take, in a dance that could leave them both bleeding on the floor. Would one day do exactly that.</p><p>For a moment, his forehead rested against Mercutio’s, their hearts beating together as their breath mingled, and then he slammed forwards, sending Mercutio sprawling on the ground and following a moment later when his legs are kicked from under him. Laughter echoed across the square, and it took him a moment to recognise it as his own. They struggled on the ground, until Tybalt regained his feet and pulled Mercutio up by the hair. Mercutio bared his teeth, snapped them at him, grinning maniacally.</p><p>One step forward two steps back, their waltz continued...</p><p> </p>
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